Track samples classic Bob Marley and T.I.’s verse on Drake’s ‘Fancy.’ By Rob Markman B.o.B Photo: Getty Images Since B.o.B ‘s early mixtape days, the Atlanta hitmaker drew comparisons to another ATLien. With his out-of-this-world production and rap style, Bobby Ray was at times considered a new age Andre 3000 , and on the axe-wielding Bob’s latest single, “Play the Guitar,” fans finally get to hear the two together. Beginning with a bluesy guitar riff and samples based on Bob Marley’s 1973 classic “I Shot the Sheriff” and T.I.’s verse on Drake’s “Fancy,” the Salaam Remi-produced track finds B.o.B and Three Stacks flexing their rap muscles. The song, which is the next single off of Bobby Ray’s upcoming Strange Clouds LP, was released Tuesday (December 27) on iTunes. The song’s hook is built around scratched-in T.I. vocals. “B.o.B plays the guitar” is brought in and out to set up Bob’s opening verse. “Well it’s B.o.B, flyer than a stewardess/ Fresh to death like I’m dressed for a eulogy,” he raps for starters. The “Nothing on You” MC then continues to showcase his tightly packed rap flow, reminding fans of his lyrical prowess. Rhyming alongside the highly regarded OutKast great had to provide some sort of inspiration for the youngster, and 3000 didn’t disappoint. At the top of his verse, Dre begins spitting about standing atop a Church’s Chicken restaurant playing a guitar, while B.o.B stands on the roof of an adjacent Dunkin’ Donuts. Yes, it is a strange way to set off a rap verse, but it’s fitting for an MC who prides himself on individuality. Andre continues his free-wheeling rhyme, spitting about everything from the advice his grandmother has given him to an Internet rumor that he plays the violin. In the end, Three Stacks leaves something for the next generation of musicians, spitting, “I encourage any child to pick up some instrument.” Just like B.o.B. What do you think of B.o.B and Andre 3000’s “Play the Guitar”? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists B.o.B Andre 3000
Paris reveals best advice Michael gave her. By Gil Kaufman Paris Jackson appears on “Ellen” Photo: Warner Bros Paris Jackson will give her first-ever solo interview on Thursday morning (December 15) when she appears on “The Ellen DeGenres Show” to promote her upcoming acting debut. After a cloistered childhood, Paris, 13, the only daughter of late pop icon Michael Jackson , opened up to Ellen about her formerly sheltered life and how her dad’s music inspired her acting. In excerpts released before the airing, Paris explained that her dad helped her prepare for her upcoming first movie role, in which she’ll play Lundon in “Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys,” an adaptation of the fantasy series based on writer Dennis Christen’s novels. “When I was really little my dad was in the movie ‘Moonwalker’ and I knew he could sing really well but I didn’t know he could act,” she said. “I saw that and I said, ‘Wow, I want to be just like him.’ ” She said Michael also gave her at-home acting lessons. “We would do improv together. He would give us little scenarios. He would (say), ‘OK, in this scene you’re going to cry’ and I’d cry on the spot.” In one of the most (literally) revealing moments, Paris explained what it felt like for herself and her siblings, Prince and Blanket, to wear disguises for most of their young lives. “I’m like, ‘This is stupid. Why am I wearing a mask?’ But I kind of realized the older I got like he only tried to protect us and he’d explain that to us too,” she said. The masks, in fact, helped the three kids live as normal a life as they possibly could considering that their dad was one of the most-sought-after paparazzi targets on earth. “I do have like a regular childhood,” she said. “I mean, I’m treated the same. When I came to [my new school] they didn’t know who I was. I was like, ‘Yes, I have a chance to be normal.'” When asked if she realized how big a deal her dad was when she was a child, Paris admitted, “I just thought, ‘He’s got a few songs out,’ but I figured everyone did that.” In the action-animation hybrid “Lundon,” Paris will voice the lead character, a human, in a fantasy adventure in which “sea magic turns a dolphin into a human, a teenage boy into a dragonfly and a loving jellyfish queen into an evil fairy godmother.” Among the other voices in the movie are former CNN personality Larry King and his wife, Shawn, and ex ‘NSYNC member Joey Fatone. Paris told DeGeneres that her dad warned her before his surprise death in June 2009 that he would not be around forever. “He said, ‘If I die tomorrow always remember what I told you.’ I took his advice and I remembered everything he told me,” she said. Related Photos Family & Friends Say Goodbye To Michael Jackson
Taylor Swift has come out with the official video for her fifth track of the platinum album, “Speak Now.” The superstar has said she had a “very definitive” vision for what she wanted to do with “Ours,” and director Declan Whitebloom was all too happy to abide by the advice of the singer/songewriter, he told E! News: “When Taylor says, ‘I’ve got an idea,’ you listen to what she’s gonna say. And so I did, and it was a great idea – and I loved it!” In the video, Swift takes on the role of an office worker having a no good, terrible, very bad day… until she remember that there’s a special someone on whom she can count. And he’s played by former Friday Night Lights quarterback Zach Gilford! Watch it below: Taylor Swift – Ours (Official Video)
Singer went under the knife in Boston for vocal cord microsurgery By Gil Kaufman Adele Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage In an effort to repair her strained voice, Adele underwent microsurgery for a benign polyp on her vocal cords in Boston and doctor’s said her prognosis is good. “Adele underwent vocal cord microsurgery by Dr. Steven Zeitels to stop recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage (bleeding) from a benign polyp,” read a statement from Massachusetts General Hospital where the surgery took place. “This condition is typically the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture. Based on the advice of her doctor and voice therapist in the United Kingdom, Adele came to Boston to consult and undergo corrective voice surgery with Dr. Zeitels, the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Center. … Dr. Zeitels expects Adele to make a full recovery from her laser microsurgery.” According to The Los Angeles Times , the surgery uses special lasers to stop the vocal cord bleeding and has successfully been performed on other singers in the past, including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in 2006. The surgery came after the “Rolling in the Deep” singer scrapped all remaining performances and appearances in 2011 on doctor’s orders. “It is with deep regret that Adele has been forced to cancel her remaining live dates and promotional appearances in 2011,” read a statement posted on her website last month. “She is to undergo surgery to alleviate the current issues with her throat, and a full recovery is expected. As a result, doctors have ordered her to rest her voice and completely recuperate before looking to schedule any work commitments.” The vocal problems were the latest hiccup in the 23-year-old singer’s plans to tour the U.S., which were previously derailed when she had to call off a string of gigs due to a bout of laryngitis. “Singing is literally my life … I have great confidence in believing you know how much this upsets me, how seriously I take it. Wanting to do something so bad and not being able to is the most frustrating thing as I’m sure you know,” she wrote in a message to her fans explaining the latest setback, which was caused by a vocal hemorrhage. “My voice is weak and I need to build it back up. I’m gonna be starting up vocal rehab [soon] and start building my overall stamina in my voice, body and mind.” When MTV News contacted an independent expert prior to the surgery, he said that recovery from such a procedure could take one to two months and that Adele’s voice should be fine in the long run. Related Artists Adele
‘I think I would have told myself to enjoy it more,’ Stronger singer says of her early career. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias Kelly Clarkson Photo: MTV News It’s been close to a decade since Kelly Clarkson became the first-ever American Idol . In the years since her 2002 win on the show, she’s become a pop star who’s known for her big voice and empowering pop anthems. Five albums and multiple hit songs later, Clarkson has some perspective on her career. “I think I can be a very serious person, so I think me taking everything so to heart … especially when I first started out, anytime I slipped on a note or forgot a word or I’d do something wrong, that wasn’t huge, [but] it was just like, it wasn’t perfect. I was very much a perfectionist,” she explained. “And I fight that still, but I’m a lot easier now.” That more relaxed attitude shows in the advice she would give her younger self. “I wish I could tell myself ‘Enjoy it’ because an emotional performance is way better than a perfect performance,” she explained. “I think I would have told myself to enjoy it more.” Clarkson released her latest album, Stronger , this week, and her newfound confidence is definitely reflected in the album title. “There were a few different titles that were going around, and I think the reason why we came up with Stronger was just because every song was about empowerment and almost, like, overcoming stuff,” she explained. “So, even if it was a bad situation and a sad song, it was about overcoming that. So by the end of the song, it’s kind of more inspiration than sad. So I think that’s why [we named it that], and I think after 10 years of doing it, you feel a little stronger personally and musically. People know you better. It’s just easier, I think.” Related Artists Kelly Clarkson
Dear Bossip , Early this year I met a nice young man at a college party. We were introduced by mutual friends who thought we would be perfect together because we both share a love for business. He’s a 22-year old Arab who owns his own restaurant, while I’m a 21-year old business student that has a small clothing store online. We hit it off well. I used to come to his restaurant all the time and we would sit and talk. We both admired each other’s tenacity and after about 3 months of getting to know one another we decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend. Here’s where the problems started. He has never fully introduced me to his parents. I see them all the time when I’m in the restaurant and they definitely know my face, but he has never said, “Mom, Dad this is my girlfriend.” In fact he never introduces me to anyone as his girlfriend unless they give me a compliment or ask him. First side eye. He claims his parents are just super old school and protective and don’t want to know about his relationships until they’re serious to the point of marriage. I guess. Then it became a problem of his friends hitting on me. I hang with them occasionally with him and we have mutual friends, but they are always giving me inappropriate comments like, “damn you look sexy today,” or hitting me up on Facebook to see when I wanna hang out. I brought this up to my boyfriend and he got angry at the fact I don’t respond and said its “rude.” Hmmm. But, he does take me out and we spend a hell of a lot of time together which makes me doubt my suspicions. He takes me on the most wonderful dinners, takes me shopping, buys me diamonds on occasion and we just sit and talk for hours at times. I can truly say he’s one of my best friends and we mesh well, beyond color lines. When I brought up the issue of does he have a problem with me being black, he said it’s more of an issue of me not being Muslim, which confuses me. I can’t help it if I was born Christian and he knew that from the time we met, so how is it a problem now? I feel if it were really an issue he should have never pursued me seriously. It upsets me when I feel like I’m not good enough to get to know his parents even though his brothers call me sis because I’m an educated, nice black woman, there’s nothing stereotypical about me and I’ve worked hard to get to that point. And I’ve told him I’m willing to convert if we get married in the future but not for a relationship. We talk about marriage and kids all the time, but in the context of aligning our similar values for how we want our family to look like and be raised. I really like him and I can see a future but I don’t want to waste my time if he’ll never take me seriously because of my race or religion. I should also bring up the fact that he is super jealous of me going to college because he’s insecure about the fact he never went and is always making comments about it despite being at a place in business where most college grads dream to be. Go figure. Should I let it go, or hold out and try and work through this because I really do like him. – Confused Chick Dear Ms. Confused Chick , Here’s yet another letter from the “Young, Sprung, and Hopeless.” Let me ask you this: Do you speak Arabic? Just as I figured. (Yup, they’re talking about you and you don’t even know it.) Why, oh why, do you folks jump into relationships with folks and there is no communication about your relationship, no discussion of the relationship boundaries, and what it really means to be in a relationship. You expect the other person to just know you and your entire experience. You expect the other person to know everything about you, your likes, dislikes, and your entire background without any context of why you are the way you are. Then, you jump in the bed with them, fall in love with the sex and feel as if you should be in a relationship with them because they sexually make you feel good. Well, here’s a suggestion, how about letting them stimulate your mind, your spiritual, your emotional and mental? How about getting to know them, their background, their history, and what stimulates their mind, their spiritual, and emotional and mental? Why am I making this suggestion. You’re grown and going to do what you want to do any damn way. You’re so “in like” that you are not listening to what he is saying. Well, here’s a newsflash for you Ms. I’m-A-Successful-Business-Woman: HE IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT YOU. HE IS NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU HIS WIFE SOME DAY, OR ONE DAY. YOU ARE HIS BLACK GIRL EXPEREINCE UNTIL HE MEETS HIS WIFE WHO WILL BE AN ARAB AND MUSLIM WOMAN . Was that clear enough for you? But, Ms. Honey, do you realize that you are adding three dynamics into your relationship of culture, race, and religion? Culturally he does not understand Black culture only what he sees on television i.e., B.E.T.’s 106 and Park , or experiences in bits and doses of the “hood” when he rides through to pick up the swag, language, music, and style. They are not interested in knowing the black experience or what it means to be black in America. And, you don’t know what it means to be an Arab in America. You don’t know his cultural beliefs, religious practices, or how and why they despise anyone who is not Muslim. You’re just jumping in the bed with him and hoping one day the two of you will be this loving couple who found love despite cultural, racial, and religious lines and be a big ole’ happy Madea family. LMBAO! Girl, grow the “F” up! Despite you being educated, non-stereotypical, and doing things for yourself, you are still a black Christian woman in America. That is all he sees. That is all his friends see. That is all his parents will see. Whatever stereotypes, colloquiums (Look it up I don’t have to time to explain it), and cultural knowledge they have obtained and witnessed about black people on television, well, Ms. Thing, you fall into that category. Regardless. Oh, yeah, that fact that he doesn’t introduce you as his girlfriend, and he doesn’t say anything about his friends hitting on you, well, that says it all. HE SEES YOU AS A PIECE OF MEAT. YOU ARE INSIGNIFICANT TO HIM. And, for the record, sweetie, you’re never going to meet his parents. You’re dating an Arab man who is Muslim. You are a black woman who is Christian. That is taboo. Do you watch the news at all? Are you up-to-date on cultural and religious issues? Chile, I swear you folks need to read a book, study, and learn something other than having sex on the brain, and who’s doing who on the Real Housewives of Atlanta or Basketball Wives . Culturally and religiously you two are not a mix. You’re his taboo black girl he’s getting it in with until he meets an Arab Muslim girl, or the one who is arranged by his parents to marry. You’ve even stated in your letter, “When I brought up the issue of does he have a problem with me being black, he said it’s more of an issue of me not being Muslim, which confuses me.” SMDH. What is confusing about that? Really! I want to know how can he tell you in a more 5 th grade level that the issue is you’re not Muslim. (The chickens have truly come home to roost) Please, and I am urging you to go read a book, study, and learn something about the culture, race, and religion of Arab men and women. Then, I want you to come back to me with a full dissertation on what you’ve learned and if you’re ready to seriously be in a relationship with a man who is Arab Muslim, and with parents who are old school Arab Muslim. Let me ask you this: What do you know about Arab men and their beliefs? What do you know about Arab culture? What do you know about the religion of being Muslim? What do you know about Arab women and the expectations of them to be with Arab men? What does he know about being black? What does he know about black culture and the history of black people in America? What does he know about black women and the significance and roles they play in the black family? What does he know about the history of Christian religion for black folk, or the historical significance of the Harlem Renaissance, the Pro-Black 70’s Movement, or The Black Panthers? What does he know about Sonia Sanchez, Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, Marcus Garvey, Angela Davis, or any historical black figure fighting for the cause and rights of black folk? Yeah, just as I thought, neither of you don’t know –ish. So, keep sitting your happy-go-lucky-ass up in the restaurant eating every day hoping he will introduce you to his parents as his girlfriend. Chile, once they discover he’s been tapping that, I suggest you don’t eat there any longer. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter: @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook, click HERE! Make sure to get your copy of my new book , Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15). It is available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
Dear Bossip , I am seeking impartial advice because I have been wrecking my mind for the past few months contemplating what to do about my situation. I started dating this guy back in 2008 after we met at a wedding and were introduced by my cousin who happened to be his good friend. (It was a long distance relationship by the way). At the time we were both 18. I fell in love so soon and while he reciprocated most of my feelings for him, he was still coming to terms of getting into a serious relationship at his age. I was advised by another cousin not to date him because she knew him quite well and she even told me he was a big flirt. He pursued me and came across as a really charming guy who could do no wrong. I agreed to be his girlfriend and we set it off. After a few months of dating, he cheated on me with a girl I knew and although he claims he never slept with her, he says they just used their hands to pleasure each other. I went ‘”mad black woman”’ on him and dumped him, but he begged me and promised he would never do it again and cut off all ties with that other girl immediately. I really loved this guy with all of my heart and I guess that was my main problem in the relationship, I was more in love than he was at the time. I became really vulnerable and my trust for him was shaken and he became emotionally & verbally abusive. Over the months we argued and bickered non-stop, and constantly hanging up the phone on each other. I then broke it off. He called me after a week and kept begging me to take him back and that he would change, etc. However, I had begun to move on before things got too worse. He traveled to where I lived to see me so we could talk properly and because he had shown some effort I agreed to meet him. The meeting didn’t go as he had planned and he lashed out and left. After a few weeks we agreed to meet up again and we reconnected and I forgave him. I moved further away after that so I decided to break it off for good but he kept coming back incessantly. He would blow up my phone constantly and I agreed to his request just to stop him being so passive aggressive, although deep down I obviously still loved him a lot. A month later, I went to my friend’s house and she knew how abusive he had been to me and resented him for it. Every time he would call my phone, she would answer it for me and say I was busy or sleeping. I regret letting that happen but at the time I felt he deserved it for the way he had treated me. He called me up one day while I was still at my friend’s and said he had moved on and found a new girl and I just acted like didn’t care to save face. He went for a really young girl (statutory rape young) and I let him go. Although he was with her he still kept thinking of me and he kept calling and texting etc. I ended up moving on too, a few months after he had, with a really nice guy too. He came back again and promised he would never cheat on or lie to me and after a month of resisting I took him back for the simple fact that I loved him. Things were cool between us and I began to regain my trust for him as well as my love. We were good up until he suggested we take a break because we were headed towards the argue/bicker phase again however during that “break” he slept with 3 girls including that young girl. He confessed so I went back to my ex too. All the while he let that young girl disrespect me and all claiming he is hers, and I told her simply the facts. Then I also told her to go ahead and have his trifling ass but he kept coming back to me. I hate the fact that each time me and him argue he goes and starts flirting on his phone with other girls but because we live far apart how do I know he’s not actually physically being with other girls even though he claims it ends on the phone? He also never had a job. Every time I went to visit him I paid for dates, food, and cleaned his place up for him, he was lazy and spent all his free time playing games and getting sidetracked by friends. He never listened to my advice but when it came from other people it made sense. He let other people disrespect me (i.e. his ex and friends) never stood up for me, and sometimes acted as though he didn’t want to show me affection or be seen with me in public. He changed completely and all those words he said about wanting me and making it work faded into thin air. Like I said before my story is long but just a month ago, he got back in touch, claims he has changed and that he was just a teenage boy and immature and now he is grown and he understands, misses and cherishes what we had (2 years) and he knows I’m the girl for him and he really wants to make it work and even marry me and move in together and start our life together. But, I refused over and over because I feel like we will go on another rollercoaster again. How do I get over him and have I made the right decision? Your advice will be much appreciated. – Leave Him Or Keep Him Dear Ms. Leave Him Or Keep Him , Sigh! Young minds convoluted with pure stupidity. I tell you I don’t know who is raising the youth of today, but something’s got to be done. Young girls are running and getting into relationships with young boys who don’t have a job, a life, or anything other than some sex. These young girls allow themselves to be abused emotionally, mentally, and physically because they are ‘Looking for daddy,’ and ‘somebody to love them.’ And as soon as someone tells them they love them they are jumping on their backs and spreading their legs for every John, Dick, and Gary. SMDH! Why are you not talking about being in someone’s school or pursuing something positive in your life? How about you put all that energy you are wasting on some cornball who ain’t got –ish, and won’t be –ish and invest that energy into yourself and get some self-esteem. Go get a library card and go learn something. Check out the museums and other cultural institutions in your city. Here’s a novel idea; how about you and your girlfriends start a book club and read some empowering and inspiring books that encourage and uplift you, and stop running after these little boys whose minds are not fully developed. Chile, you kids today are truly the reason we won’t have a future intelligent and economically empowered society or community. You’re stuck on stupid and stuck on d**k. I wish I could just shake the –ish out of you and wake up those dead brain cells lying dormant in your head. Girl, the boy lives in whole other state and you’re worried about what he’s doing and who he’s doing. HERE’S A NEWS FLASH: The boy has shown you time and time again who he is. He is a cheater, liar, abuser, and worthless piece of –ish. He’s no more interested in a relationship with you than you are an education for yourself. The doors are wide and open of the ALL GIRL ACADEMY FOR WOMEN WHO THINK HAVING A MAN WILL MAKE THEM HAPPY, BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE THEMSELVES. Tell me this: What has he brought to the table to empower you? What has he brought to the table to uplift or motivate you? And, don’t tell me, “I don’t know but I just love him. We connect on a whole other level. And, the sex is the bomb.” Sweetie, getting d**k is not a reason to be in love with someone. Stop equating sex with love. They are not equally mutually the same. Sex is sex. Love is love. By the way, do you know how many smart, intelligent, working, loving, powerful, and spiritual real men are out there who can bring good conversation, a wealth of experience, infinite knowledge, maturity, monogamy, and good d**k to the table? Let me ask you this: Why do you want to be in a relationship with someone who you constantly bicker and fight with? Why do you want to be in a relationship with someone who allows their friends and exes to disrespect you? Why do you want to be in a relationship with someone who cheats, disrespects, lies, and abuses you? I’ll wait while you think of answers to those questions. I know it will take you some time since you’re working with limited intelligence. And, for the record, yes, I’m mad at you because you have allowed yourself to become this revolving door by allowing this low-class low-life bum to enter and re-enter any and every damn time he pleases. Stop the damn repetitive cycle and keep the damn door closed. HE IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. HE’S WORTHLESS. And, if someone is worthless then they will treat you just as worthless. A piece of sh*t attracts a piece of sh*t. Are you a piece of sh*t? You know how you said you went Mad Black Woman on him. Well, how about you become Smart Black Woman from now on! Respect yourself. Respect your body: It’s your temple, your power, your source of love. Don’t let someone who has no self-regard disrespect and destroy you. Build a solid foundation of happiness, self-love, joy, peace, and dignity. If he is not adding to you, then he is destroying you. And, you, my dear, clearly sound wounded and destroyed. Your spirit is weak. Rebuild yourself. Become proud and defiant. Demand the best for yourself and of yourself. Now, get off your exes DUMB-BUM rollercoaster. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter: @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook, click HERE! Make sure to get your copy of my new book , Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15). It is available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
